The suspect wanted for shooting a baby boy in the leg in Northeast Philadelphia has been arrested and charged, police said.
The shooting happened on the 4000 block of Meridian Street in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, police said.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10 that the baby was with his parents when a woman approached them and opened fire.
Surveillance video released by police shows the woman - now identified as 28-year-old Dominique Billips of Philadelphia - firing multiple shots at the parents and their baby, who was inside a stroller. The two parents flee as the armed woman walks away.
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Police said the seven-month-old baby boy was shot in the leg, though no one else was hurt in the shooting. The child was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle and then transferred to a second hospital by police. He is currently in stable condition.
When police arrived at the scene, the baby's parents were not there, officials said. It took officers about an hour to find the couple a few blocks away from where the shooting happened.
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Investigators said a scene was held on Meridian Street, and a second scene was at 7700 Frankford Avenue. Two shell casings were found.
Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum of the Philadelphia Police Department said the parents later told investigators they fled the scene because of their outstanding warrants, and they feared being taken in by police.
"It’s sad. I’m a parent myself and I wouldn’t know what to do if something like this happened to my kid. Devastated. I was once a victim of gun violence in an attempted robbery. It just brings back a lot of emotions a lot of fears that I once put away you know," a witness said.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
NBC10 spoke to one man who did not want to be identified but witnessed the whole encounter. He told us that he was the neighbor who took the baby to the hospital.
"When I find out the baby was 7 months and both parents said they have warrants. They got out the car and I took the baby. I just felt like I had to protect this child. It was overwhelming. It was scary. This person came up and didn’t care with no remorse and just fired and walked away like nothing happened," he said.
Rosenbaum said thanks to tips being sent to police; investigators were able to identify Pillups quickly and arrest her.
"This looks like this all stems from a $100 narcotics debt, is what we are being told," Rosenbaum added. " So it's sad, you see that video, she literally points the gun at the mother of the baby - who is also a juvenile - and fires. Luckily she missed and that's probably when the baby got hit."
Investigators believe that the father of the child was the intended target.
The District Attorney's Office has charged Billips with aggravated assault and other related offenses. She is now awaiting formal arraignment, according to Rosenbaum.
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